OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) Spring Lecture Series is in full swing, presenting “Systems Integration: An Approach to Improving Well-Being Outcomes for Children and Families.” It will be held Wednesday, March 27, from Noon to 1 p.m. at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zudih Drive in Oklahoma City.

Leading the discussion will be Charisse S. Johnson. She is Branch Chief for the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Discretionary Grant Program in the Office of Family Assistance (OFS) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Johnson has more than 25 years of experience in administering programs promoting child and family well-being, family self-sufficiency, primary prevention of child abuse and neglect, child welfare services, family support, fatherhood, community development and other programs that support positive child and family outcomes.

The discussion will focus on how systems integration is a process that fosters alignment of sub-systems and/or “safety net systems” to improve outcomes for children and families. Johnson will use the “balcony view” metaphor as an approach to assess effective and efficient systems integration. The session will also explore the value of macro-level analysis to support the developing, assessing and sustaining of integrated systems to better meet the unique needs of today’s families that strive to attain child and family well-being and economic self-sufficiency.

The Practice and Policy Lecture Series has been developed to provide thought-provoking presentations on Oklahoma's emerging policy issues, trends and best practices. The series is sponsored by the OKDHS Office of Planning, Research and Statistics and the University of Oklahoma Center for Public Management with the goal of providing the best educational opportunities available in a forum that offers participants an opportunity to question, share and learn from each other.